Voluntary Simplicity- would you practice it?

Would you practice voluntary simplicity?

Personnaly no, I wouldn’t practice it. Those are some of the reasons: According to the fact I live in a capitalist system in which consuming is essential, living like that wouldn’t help the economy. In fact, if everyone was doing Voluntary Simplicity , we would have some serious problems because if no one consumes, then the companies have less money and people are kicked out of their job. The less workers you have, the less they will get money. Without money, no consumption. Second, it has been said that Voluntary Simplicity was helping us to have a better social life and take more time with family and friends. But in a way, I think doing different activities is a really good way to get closer to people. You cannot always stay home, that would be a little boring in my views. For example, bowling is a great family activity, attraction parks too, and even shopping! Shopping is the best way for girls to begin a frienship. Of course there’s other ways, but diversification is still very important. So, my point is: « consuming can also help me to get closer to my friends and my family ». So it wouldn’t really help me to feel happier. I think voluntary simplicity is fundamentally a really good idea, senseful and good intentionnated. Our society is over-consuming. Most of us throw things to garbage instead of repairing it, prefer buying brands because it looks cool. Those things are just so easy to correct and could make a real difference in the world. I support Volountary Simplicity it that sense. I’m already practicing those things. But what I mostly mean is I don’t think stopping consuming stuff we want is useful and really helps us be more happy. We are still working to get this money and not spending it would only be a waste. I don’t really enjoy working for nothing. Second, it has been said that voluntary simplicity was helping us being more happy in a more simple way because materials were making us running everywhere kind of. Yeah, okay, but personally, I don’t really believe that the material considerated « useless » really makes us « loose » time because, for example, If I buy a crayon because it’s cool, it’s useless in some way because I don’t really need another crayon because I already have one, but will it really take my time?

What are your thoughts about Voluntary Simplicity?

Actually, if we all stop buying together, it won't be voluntary for the others, because the economy will suffer, and the lifestyle quality will drop down anyways. And no, i wouldn't practice it, it's a joke invented by some cappies, feeling bad, but most of the time, theyr either already poor, or they just consume without seeing it.

PS: I think Lewin jumped out of his chair when he read my text -this is the same I gave him- Most of the people probably said "yeah because its right and over-consumption and blablabla flower, I want to have more time for myself and VS would probably help for it so that would be soo cool cuz it seems beautiful yeahhh!" but NO -.-' Lewin is a little bit like "No to communism!!! It's baaaaad! BUT let's act as Commies in a capitalist system! hurrayyy! What a good idea!" As if those both really could be mixed together. Communism, or capitalism, but please don't mix both of them, this is complete missunderstand of those both systems!!!

Depriving yourself of convenience and subjectively necesary materials does not serve any pragmatic goal.

First of all, you can't terminate consumption as it is the basis of life - you have to consume oxygen, water and nutrients. Then we need shelter so we need to consume several different materials in order to provide ourselves with shelter. Then we need to suffice interactive and abstractly induced needs... and we need to consume a lot of resources for this.


So.... what's the point of "simplicity" or austerity? This is not even about capitalism or communism, this is about material wealth, about management of materials we employ.

Take care of the environment? Of the limited reservoir of resources?

As I see it in most cases this si nothing but product of guilt or ignorance, that is, when done "with an objective".

It's like those greenies wanting to save the world by chaining themselves to trees, disregarding entirely the fundamental reasons for which we cut trees in such ammounts and in such an arbitrary and careless way.

If in capitalism there's consumerism, it's because employees (wage slaves) have to break their back to make their bosses (masters) rich in an ever-growing fashion, there needs to be some foundation for overworking, some material reason and consumerism is a good one - it keeps you working like crazy because you need to buy as much as you can and others needing to buy as much as they can gives a motive for you to keep working that hard and all this because some guys "need" to be rich at the expense of and indirectly control the lives of entire populations - what they can get, what they can produce, in what ammount, why and how. They need to have more than anyone and the material ways to have power so they keep the rules of the game in such a way taht allows them for that. A bonus if everyone wants to be like them while not-knowing that they can't - that makes them work even harder.

It's all this stupid culture of exploitation and overworking... this completely disorganized economic system that instead of serving the needs of the community, it serves exclusively the profit needs of the individuals ruling it at the expense of the community while said community will have its needs and the way to satisf them determined by that exploitative class of individuals...

Actually... how could any non-bourgeoise support capitalism when it means nothing but the bourgeoisie telling to everyone "I'll determine what is to be done while I profit from the labour of all of you so you can aspire to be like me and work even harder for me". Damn... who on his sane mind can like that? Who calling himself rational and congruent would be able to critize USSR or North Korea for that matter when it's the same shit just ran by less people and in a more cynical and thus obvious way?